Ever woken up at night unable to move and what it can mean

Have you ever heard of a concept such as sleep paralysis? This is a feeling of being consciously aware, but you are not able to move. You may experience it when you pass between stages of wakefulness and sleep. This is a very strange feeling, you can not move, but at the same time you are fully aware of your surroundings.

You should not be so afraid of sleep paralysis, because it does not cause physical damage to your body. There are two stages of this feeling, such as hypnopompic and hypnagogic. Hypnagogic sleep paralysis occurs just before a person falls asleep, and hypnopompic sleep paralysis occurs as soon as you wake from sleep.

When you fall asleep, your body relaxes, and the mind becomes less conscious. However, if you experience a hypnagogic sleep paralysis, your mind is conscious, and the body is in deep relaxation. You understand that you can not move, and this can cause you fear and panic.

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During hypnopompic sleep paralysis, the body is paralyzed, and certain part of your brain wakes earlier. Surprisingly, that state of wakefulness does not affect the part of your brain that is responsible for paralysis. You are awake to a certain degree without voluntary control of the muscles.

There are people who have had sleep paralysis only a few times in their lives, but also there is a part of people who face this constantly. In fact, people who suffer from depression and anxiety are more prone to frequent experiences of sleep paralysis.

What are the risk factors that lead to sleep paralysis? Let's look at them: sleep deficiency; common changes in the sleep schedule; bipolar disorder or stress; sleep on the back; nighttime leg cramps or narcolepsy; certain medications; substance abuse.

Let's look at the symptoms of sleep paralysis. People who experience sleep paralysis are not able to move or speak: this can last from a few seconds to several minutes. As we said earlier, this happens during the initial moments of you falling asleep and almost immediately after you wake up.

You should know that sleep paralysis does not require treatment. However, you doctor may conduct a study of other areas that affect the quality and health of your sleep. Depending on your condition during sleep, your doctor may refer you to a sleep specialist.

Is there any way to treat this condition? As we have already said, you can consult a doctor and depending on your state of health, he can prescribe you treatment. The most popular sleep paralysis procedures are: implementing a sleeping schedule, the use of antidepressants, referral to a mental health specialist, treating any underlying sleep issues, using sleeping aids.

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We believe that there is no such need to immediately consult a doctor. You need to adjust your sleep regimen and get rid of the stress that triggers sleep paralysis. Also, if you are a fan of bad habits, you should take your health seriously and try to give up alcohol, nicotine, caffeine and drugs. What's more, we advise you to remove any electronic devices from the bedroom, if you want a good night’s sleep.

The BetterMe Team wants you and those close to you to live a healthy, happy life! Your health is a valuable thing; look after your body and your mind so that you can live your life to the fullest – Remember you only get one!

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This article is solely for informational purposes and is not intended to provide medical advice. BetterMe doesn’t take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, exercise, diet, application of medication or any similar action which results from reading or following the information contained in this article. Before undertaking any course of treatment please consult with your physician or other health care provider.